FCC License Database Scraper

Scrape the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) — the official database of all FCC radio licenses in the United States. Search by callsign, licensee name, city/state location, or radio service type. Returns full license details including grant dates, expiration, frequency data, and official FCC URLs.

No API key required. Uses the FCC public API.

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What You Can Scrape

• AM/FM/TV broadcast station licenses
• Amateur (ham) radio licenses
• Industrial/business and private land mobile licenses
• Microwave, paging, cellular, and experimental licenses
• License grant/expiration dates, status, and grantee details
• Frequency ranges and channel assignments

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Input

Field	Type	Description
mode	select	Search mode (see modes below)
callsign	text	Callsign to search (e.g. KCBS, W1AW)
licenseeName	text	Licensee name (e.g. CBS Radio, Verizon)
city	text	City name (e.g. Los Angeles)
state	select	US state or territory (e.g. CA, NY)
radioService	select	Radio service type (AM, FM, TV, Amateur, etc.)
status	select	License status filter (Active, Expired, Cancelled, etc.)
maxItems	integer	Max records to return (default: 50, max: 2000)

Modes

Mode	Description
searchByCallsign	Search by exact or partial callsign
searchByName	Search by licensee or applicant name
searchByLocation	Search by city and/or state
byService	Browse licenses for a specific radio service type

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Output

Each record contains the following fields (only non-empty fields are included):

Field	Description
callsign	FCC callsign (e.g. KCBS)
licenseeName	Name of the licensee/grantee
radioService	Radio service code (e.g. FM)
radioServiceDesc	Human-readable service description
status	License status (Active, Expired, etc.)
frn	FCC Registration Number
licenseId	Internal FCC license key
fileNumber	FCC file number
city	City where licensed
state	State code (e.g. CA)
country	Country code
grantDate	Date license was granted
expirationDate	License expiration date
effectiveDate	Effective date of license
channel	Channel number (broadcast stations)
frequencyLower	Lower frequency bound
frequencyUpper	Upper frequency bound
url	Direct link to FCC ULS license page
recordType	Always "license"
scrapedAt	ISO 8601 timestamp of when record was scraped

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Example Input (Daily Test)

{
  "mode": "searchByLocation",
  "city": "Los Angeles",
  "state": "CA",
  "maxItems": 10
}

Example Output Record

{
  "callsign": "KCBS",
  "licenseeName": "CBS RADIO INC.",
  "radioService": "FM",
  "radioServiceDesc": "FM Broadcast",
  "status": "Active",
  "frn": "0001606539",
  "licenseId": "3600",
  "city": "San Francisco",
  "state": "CA",
  "country": "US",
  "grantDate": "05/02/2011",
  "expirationDate": "12/01/2029",
  "url": "https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/license.jsp?licKey=3600",
  "recordType": "license",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-06-02T10:00:00+00:00"
}

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Data Source

All data is sourced from the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) public API at data.fcc.gov. This is a free, publicly accessible government database requiring no authentication. The FCC ULS contains records for millions of licensed radio stations, amateur operators, and wireless service providers across the United States.

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FAQs

Does this require an API key? No. The FCC ULS API is completely free and open to the public.

How current is the data? The FCC ULS database is updated in near-real-time as licenses are granted, modified, or cancelled.

Can I search for amateur radio callsigns? Yes — use mode=searchByCallsign with any amateur callsign (e.g. W1AW, K6ABC).

What radio services are supported? All FCC-licensed services including AM/FM broadcast, TV broadcast, amateur radio, cellular, paging, microwave, industrial/business, and experimental licenses.

How many records can I retrieve? Up to 2,000 records per run. For bulk data, consider running multiple searches or increasing maxItems.

Why are some fields missing? Only fields with actual data are included — empty fields are never added to keep output clean.